Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
The Institute of African Knowledge, a local Pan-African think tank, is set to initiate legal action aimed at rectifying historical and ongoing injustices faced by Africa and its people.
Drawing on extensive research from The Africa Factbook, published in 2000, INSTAK is preparing to seek two advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and a definitive judgment from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
These actions aim to confront persistent misconceptions about Africa’s history, geography and humanity.
In a statement, INSTAK chief executive officer Ambassador Kwame Muzawazi said the move is to show the continent’s right to self-definition, dignity and the pursuit of historical truth.
“Zimbabwe-based Pan-African think tank, the Institute of African Knowledge, is finalising litigation at international level aimed at correcting historical and ongoing injustices against Africa and Africans—actions that speak directly to the continent’s right to self-definition, dignity and historical truth,” read part of the statement.
“The INSTAK secretariat has finalised paperwork covering the following three interconnected legal actions and awaits board approval before embarking on the next step in the litigation.
“A request for an advisory opinion from the ICJ on Africa’s right to reparations for the centuries of European slavery and colonialism that devastated the continent’s people, institutions, and development trajectory.
“This action aligns with the African Union’s 2025 theme — ‘Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations’ — which calls for renewed efforts toward restorative justice and continental self-affirmation.
“The legal argument is grounded on the overwhelming documentary, historical and economic evidence meticulously compiled in The Africa Factbook, which demonstrates the enduring cost and moral debt owed to Africa,” said Ambassador Muzawazi.
He said a second advisory opinion from the ICJ will seek to challenge the long-standing and racially motivated distortion of Africa’s true size and scale in global cartography.
Ambassador Muzawazi said for centuries, world maps have systematically shrunk Africa while inflating Europe and North America, perpetuating a subconscious narrative of African inferiority.
Modern scientific data shows that Africa’s land area is in fact far larger than the combined landmass of Europe, the United States and China.
“The third action will be filed at the European Court of Human Rights, seeking a ruling against racist and degrading depictions of Africans in elements of Polish popular culture and the education system, which, among other claims, perpetuates the absurdity that Africans are dark-skinned because they do not bathe.
“The Polish matter will be used as a test case to challenge prevailing related racial biases and distortions in the curricula and syllabi of other Western jurisdictions.
“Such teachings are not only scientifically absurd but also constitute racial discrimination and a violation of human dignity,” said Ambassador Muzawazi.
INSTAK said these legal actions represent more than a symbolic protest; they are a demand for intellectual and moral justice.
Ambassador Muzawazi said the resistance faced is itself proof of the world’s lingering reluctance to see Africa as an equal, and sadly, this is something we shall also encounter from some of our own African brothers and sisters who have internalised these ugly notions of African inferiority.
